Improvement in mole-plows



W. B. ATKINSON.

' Mole-Plow.

No. 30,036. Patented Sept 18, 1860.

N. PETERS. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D c V UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

W. ATKINSON, OF PLYMOUTH, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MOLE-PLOWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 30,036, dated September18, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatVI, W. B. ATKINSON, of Plymouth, in the county ofHancock and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Mole-Plow;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forminga part of this specification, in which- Figure 1represents a longitudinal vertical section of my invention, the line 00m, Fig. 2, indicating the plane of section. Fig. 2 is a plan or top viewof same. Fig. 3 is an end View of the mole or shoe. Fig. 4. is atransverse vertical section of the standard. Fig. 5 is a transverse"ertical section of the drain when finished.

Similar letters of reference in all the figures indicate correspondingparts.

My invention consists, first, in arranging the sharp-pointed shoe ormole with a rounded and narrow bottom and with an inclined top, runningup to the flanged back end in such a manner that the drain formed by theshoe is provided with two shoulders ready to receive the drain-boards,and that the sides of the drain are left comparatively unpressed, thusfavoring the percolation of water or moisture, and forming at the sametime a firm anddurable drain, the pressed parts being prevented fromreturning to their original state from saturation, 850.; second, in thearrangement on the back end of the shoe of a clamp to be operated by ascrew-rod from the top of the standard in such a manner that thedrain-boards can be secured in the shoe and drawn into the drain as theplow passes along through the ground.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation with reference to thedrawings.

The beam A of my plow is supported by a sled, B, the runners of whichare sufficient] y far apart to straddle the drain, and set-screws aserve to adjust the beam to the desired level or inclination.

The standard 0 is made of a thin and broad piece of sheet-iron, whichmay be doubled over, as shown in Fig. 4, and its front end is sharpened,so that it passes easily through the ground. Said standard is secured tothe beam by means of a bolt or pivot, b, so that it can be inclined ineither direction, and it is provided witha series of holes, 0, whichallow of raising or lowering the standard according to the depth towhich the drain is to be out. A brace, D, extends from the lower end ofthe standard to the front end of the beam, being secured to the latterby means of a bolt or pivot, d, and the beam is provided with a seriesof holes, cl, to match a series of holes, (1*, in the upper end of thebrace and to allow ofadjusting the brace together with the standard. Thebrace is made of a thin piece of sheet-iron or sheet-steel, and itsfront edge is sharpened, so that the same passes readily through theground.

' The shoeE is made of a peculiar form, as clearlyshown in Figs. 1, 2,and 3 ofthe drawings. Its sides 6 are inclined, running down to thenarrow rounded sole f, which is placed at right angles with thestandard. The cross-section of the shoe has the appearance of a V, asclearly shown in Fig. 3, and the top g of the shoe, as well as itssides, converge toward the point It in such a manner that in passingthrough the ground the shoe forces the ground up, exerting comparativelylittle pressure on the sides, and forming a drain, the sides of whichfavor the percolation of the water.

The rear end of the shoe is provided with a flange, F, which projectsover the side of the shoe, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, running downgradually to a point, i, at about the middle of the length of the shoe,and extending beyond its end in such a form that the same in passingthrough the ground opens a rectangular channehj, over the regularV-shaped drain J, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. This channel is intendedto receive the drain-boards, which protect the top of the drain fromtumbling in and stopping up the passage of the water. A

clamp, 7c, in the interior of the flange F serves to hold thedrain-boards and to draw them in as the shoe passes through the groundand opens the drain. This clamp is operated by a screw,-l, that passesupon the rear edge of standard, being guided by loops m. A nut, n, onthe upper end of the screw 1 serves to tighten the boards. The ends ofthe boards are cutoff at angles of fifteen or twentydegrees, and theyare spliced by means of bolts or rivets in such a manner that the jointsremain of the same thickness with the rest of the boards, and that theboards can be drawn into the drain without interruption.

By this machine drains are formed of superior durability, owing to theshape of the shoe, and the upper sides of the drain are renderedperfectly safe and secure by introducing the drain-boards by means ofthe shoe itself, thus giving no chance to the soil to tumble in and tostop up the drain. The whole machine is made light. It is easily handledand operated, and all its parts are constructed in such a manner thatthey do not easily get out of order.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the V-shaped sharppointed mole E with the sideflange, F, constructed and operating in the manner and for the purposeherein set forth.

2. The arrangement of the clamp 70 in combination with the shoe E,constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose hereinspecified.

W. B. ATKINSON.

Witnesses:

H. A. MARKLEY, A. W. KING.

